November 2019
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 24, No. 11
Next meeting Sunday November 3rd 2019 at 5pm
Asli will provide a hands-on exercise to get you thinking outside the box
when you are writing lyrics. Bring pens and paper to participate!
The International Songwriter’s Guild meets at 5 PM on the first Sunday of every
month at the Central Florida Musician’s Union building, 3020 East Robinson St.,
Orlando, FL 32803 (at the extreme east end of Robinson, near Orlando Executive
Airport)
Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to
join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our
group and what we do. If you wish to join, there is an annual fee of only $5. For
more information, visit our website at www.tinyurl.com/isgsongs
The meetings will be structured as follows: 5:00 to 5:30, business, networking and
introductions. 5:30 to 6:00, presentation by a guest speaker (when scheduled),
or a short workshop/exercise. 5:30 or 6:00 to 8:00, song critiques.
Please bring a CD or I-phone or mp3 player or perform your song live, and bring 10
or more lyric sheets. If we have at least 5 songs by members who wish to be scored,
and 6 members scoring, then we will have them entered in the Monthly competition.
Everyone is encouraged to write constructive comments on the lyric sheets.
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/
Ralph Murphy
By Jeff Mason
Ralph Murphy passed away in Nashville, Tennessee on May 29 of this year. Ralph was a
hit songwriter, producer and publisher. He was, also, Vice President International at ASCAP.
He was a very good teacher and held classes on songwriting around the world. His book
on song writing “Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting: The Book” is one of the best books on the
subject. The first link in this month’s article will lead you to his book and other fine books on
song writing. http://www.nsaisandiego.com/songwriting-books.html These are recommendations
from the San Diego chapter of the NSAI.(Nashville Songwriters Association International) Ralph
had, also, served as President of the NSAI. In 2012 he was inducted into the Canadian Country
Music Hall of Fame. These are just a few of Ralph’s life time achievements.
Ralph was a regular at the TAXI Road Rally convention in LA. I was fortunate enough to attend
a couple of Ralph’s classes. In addition to being an informative teacher he was congenial and easy
to approach. Michael Laskow relates this story. While at the rally he would critique people’s songs
privately. He would charge $15 and at the end of the rally TAXI (Michael Laskow, President of TAXI)
would match the amount of money Ralph had earned. That money would be donated to homeless
people to feed them at Thanksgiving.
I shared a couple of humorous stories with Ralph as we passed each other at the rally. I knew
he’d been born in England and had emigrated to Ontario, Canada with his mother at age 5. As a
teenager he had hitched a working ride on a boat to Liverpool. At that time Liverpool was the center
of the music universe thanks to The Beatles and a few other bands. At age 19 he signed a record
deal with Pye records where he released two singles.
https://www.godsjukebox.com/Rest_In_Peace/ralph-murphy-half-the-way/
Pye was a favorite label of mine as it had a stellar stable of artists. Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark,
Sandie Shaw, The Kinks and a very underrated Liverpool band The Searchers. David Bowie and
Donovan were, also, artists on the label.
Every year Ralph analyzed the previous year’s number one songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Pop
songs and the Billboard Hot 100 Country songs. In 2016 I was able to distill the applicable figures for
the hits of 2015 using Ralph’s charts. I searched the internet, in vain, for his charts for 2016. When I
asked him about it in 2017 he explained that he’d been ill. It didn’t affect his sense of humor as we
shared a good laugh at my expense about a sleep mishap that I had endured. It was a combination
of sleep apnea and time zones that had me heading to a class three hours early! That’s happened
quite a few times since I was diagnosed with severe apnea and insomnia!
As I prepared to write this article I was planning to use a TAXI tv episode from April 29 as my
source material. It features Ralph and Michael Laskow and is titled “Country and Pop Songwriting
Trends and Song Feedback.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUV9XIrrT2Y&list=PLOv2YP-jgtjURSjjA_v-ZDfuUJP9SJ_6C&index=41&t=0s
As I surfed the internet, I stumbled upon Ralph’s charts for 2018. So I’ll leave you with a link to
the YouTube video and meet you here next month to discuss Ralph’s analysis of the hits of 2018.
See you next month.
ISG Bulletin Board
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association,
Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the
interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more
information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
Asli and SusieCool will be presenting a free seminar at the Winter Park library on Tuesday, October 22
from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the First floor Community room. More details and the sign up information is
available on the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/692928104546682/
This seminar will get down to the bones of a song and provide an understanding of the basic structures
or anatomy of a song. We will discuss how to identify different song sections and how these song
structures can enhance the mass appeal of a song. If you are new to songwriting, this is a great place
to start. If you are an experienced songwriter, this seminar will be a great review of these concepts and
may even help you understand why some of your own songs are better received by audiences. Join us
to learn more about the craft of songwriting and for the opportunity to connect with fellow songwriters!
Why isn't your gig announced here? Members in good standing call SusieCool with your
appearance schedule! 407-760-2153 or e-mail her the details at isgorlando@gmail.com
The Jane Gang Unleashed will be performing on Wednesday, October 23 from 5pm to 8pm at
Tijuana Flats as a fund raiser for the Greater Orlando Council of the Blind (GOCB). Come enjoy
tasty Mexican food, groove to live music, celebrate the company of friends, and benefit a good
cause! We will also have a guest performance by our good friend Dave Hillebrandt!
When you order your food, please show them a GOCB card and a percentage of your bill will be
donated to the organization. You can get a GOCB card from one of the GOCB members at the
event. Don’t worry, we will make sure everyone knows where to get a card!
Event: Greater Orlando Council of the Blind (GOCB) Dine and Donate
Date: Wednesday, October 23
Time: 5PM to 8PM
Place: Tijuana Flats
(corner of University Blvd. and Goldenrod Road)
7608 University Blvd., Winter Park, FL 32792
407-673-2456
https://www.facebook.com/events/2320570504849102/
If you are interested in open mics in the Central Florida area, SusieCool has compiled a list.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
If you want to join us at the Central Florida Folk song circle, please show up at
Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux at 3022 Corrine Drive on the last Wednesday of each month
from 6 to 8:30/9pm. The BBB has many delicious items on their menu, and also some vegetarian stuff.
They also serve beer and wine. They have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Central-Florida-Folk-Song-Circle-139385302761066/
On Wednesday November 20th we have a playing circle with the Fingerstyle Guitar Group
in the Community room of the winter Park Library.460 E. New England Ave. Winter Park,
FL 32789. 6 to 8:30pm. The event usually takes place on 3rd Wednesdays, but sometimes
2nd Wednesdays. Songwriters are welcome, but we do try to play our fingerstyle
songs and not use picks. There is more info on the facebook group page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/228147620559285/?fref=nf
SusieCool is the admin for a Facebook group called "Orlando Creative Music Network"
where we give out info on songwriter meetings, playing circles, open mics, workshops and concerts.
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
October 2019 no Critiques
New members and guests always welcome!
© 2019 ISG